The moon and the stars in the sky are shining brightly, and they are so clear without all the city lights to block them. It’s actually quite nice. I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t even miss the city. The only thing I miss is my freedom … but I’ll get that back soon.
Footsteps behind me make my glance over my shoulder.
“Did I scare you?” Max asks, smiling like a real gentleman, even though he isn’t.
I turn my head away again, staring at the sky. “No.”
“Hmm …” He stands beside me. “You do know I can tell when you’re lying?”
“How do you know?” I ask, gazing at him from the corner of my eye.
With his elbows, he leans on the balustrade. “You always do this thing with your eye … it twitches.”
“Oh …” I suppress a smile and look at his arms, which still show the red scratch mark. It was there since before the last game, so it must’ve been from Lauren. It’s the only explanation.
“You saved Lauren, didn’t you?” I say.
He licks his lips, but he can’t suppress a quick smile. “What gave you that idea?”
I point at the scratch marks, which he quickly hides under his sleeve. “Oh, this … I just scraped the wall. That’s all.”
“Right …” What a little white lie.
It’s quiet for some time, and I just stare at the stars, wondering what this all means.
“You know … you have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen,” he says. “Can I ask … what’s your descent?”
I smile. “I’m a quarter Japanese, a quarter Vietnamese, and half American.”
Max chuckles. “Quite the mix.”
I nod. “Yeah …”
“Still very beautiful if you ask me.”
“Thanks.” I don’t want to blush from his comment, even though I do.
Suddenly, I feel his finger on my cheek, caressing me softly. It makes me want to lean in when I shouldn’t. His finger travels down my neck to my shoulders, where he slides my dress down and exposes my wounds.
His eyes flicker with rage.
I hiss when he touches the lashes, and I immediately pull my dress back up again. “Please, don’t,” I say.
“Sorry,” he says. “That must hurt a lot.”
“It’s fine,” I lie. Of course, it’s not fine, but I won’t admit that to him.
“It doesn’t look fine to me.”
“Yeah, well, you can thank your brother for that.” I clear my throat.
Max steps closer and grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Hey … I won’t let him hurt you again.”
The way he says the words, with such determination, makes me suck on my bottom lip.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“If it were up to me, you would’ve never gone to his room. But you chose his object.” Max makes a fist with his hand, and for some reason, it gives me pleasure knowing my choice upset him … that he wants me so badly he’d be angry with his brother for stealing me away.
Max cocks his head and grabs my arm, pulling me toward him. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
I swallow but don’t reply.
“Hmm …” He smirks. “Figured you wouldn’t tell me the truth. You want to see how far I’m willing to go to get you?” He leans in closer, his lips almost touching mine. “You think I’m playing you to betray you, but you’re wrong. I want you more than any other girl.”
“Why should I believe that, when I know you’ve been sleeping around with the other girls? Who was it? Jordan?”
He raises his brow. “As a matter of fact, yes. And Lauren.”
Just the thought makes me want to lash out.
But it also means that Asya, Latisha, and Stacey must have picked Devon’s item. Oh, boy.
“Jealous?” Max sneers.
I shrug, even though I am. “I don’t care.”
He squints. “Of course, you do. Why else would you ask?”
“To make a point. They were with you. Not me. Them. So why should I believe you like me more?”
He scowls at me. “They chose my object. If you’d done the same, you’d have been one of them.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, exactly. One of them. Like that’s some sort of privilege.”
“Don’t you understand that I’m the only one here who gives a shit about you?” he growls.
I try to shove him away, but he won’t let me go, so I slap him instead.
He releases me from his grasp, and I step back, watching him with a hawk’s eye. He touches his face with his hand, his fingers grazing his beautiful skin, and it’s at this moment that I feel most vulnerable. Most afraid. Because whatever he’s going to do or say next isn’t good, and it’s my fault.
“I …” I stutter.
He comes toward me, and I stumble backward until the balcony is right behind me and there’s no way to flee. He’s got me cornered, and his eyes predict thunder, but I’m afraid I can’t handle the electricity.
I close my eyes, expecting the inevitable.
Instead, he grabs my face with both hands … and he kisses me.
He fucking kisses me.
And I don’t even fucking pull back.
What the hell?
His lips smash into mine, and he ravages me without holding back. I’m helpless to stop it—not because I can’t, but because my body doesn’t want him to stop. His tongue dips out to lick my lips, coaxing me to open my mouth and let him in. I do, without hesitation, and he claims my mouth and tongue like it’s always belonged to him.
I’m completely stunned. I can only stand here and allow him to conquer my mouth, even though it makes no sense. I should hate him for putting me through all this. I should push him away and fight back. But I don’t … and I hate that more than I hate anything.
In a moment of clarity, my lips unlock from his, and I lean away, staring at him because I can’t believe that just happened.
I’m not exactly the kissing type … but that was amazing. And wrong. So fucking wrong, I might’ve even liked it.
“I told you I only want you. It’s the truth,” he whispers, his voice heady and sultry. My lips still tingle from his kiss, and I can feel the excitement surging through my body. Goddammit.
“I don’t give a damn if you slap me. I probably deserved it.”
I grind my teeth but don’t respond. I wouldn’t know what to say anyway. Apology or no apology, he is right … He deserved it.
He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing the top of my hand. “I can’t undo your choice, but I can give you what you need now that you’re back.”
“Back … from his room you mean,” I say with bitterness in my voice.
“Yes,” he says, narrowing his eyes. “I must say I’m impressed you managed to escape. May I ask how you did it?”
“Like I’ll tell you all my secrets,” I retort.
He gives me a lopsided smile. “I suppose you’re right. Still, I find it intriguing.”
“So you’re not mad I defied your rules?”
He shrugs. “If my brother loses, he loses.”
I frown. “Aren’t you all about punishing the girls who don’t listen?”
“Yes, but your punishment was to deal with my brother when you didn’t pick my item.” There’s a smug smile on his face. “It was the knife, by the way. Good guess.”
I fold my arms. Clearly, he’s letting me off the hook when he wouldn’t give the same privilege to the other girls. I don’t know whether to be upset or proud. He really has a thing for me.
“This is just how the game goes,” Max explains. “Although I have to admit that seeing you here on the balcony with your dignity intact makes me happy.”
“My dignity, yes … my body, not so much,” I say with a sigh. “I hope for your sake these don’t turn into permanent scars. Otherwise, you know what’s going to happen.”
His lips quirk up momentarily. “The added clause to the contract.” He smiles. “
Clever. Did you incite my brother?” He inches closer again. “To make him hurt you? Is that your plan? Because if it is, I can tell you it’s a bad plan.”
“No, of course not.” I lift up my head and gaze at him from under my lashes. “But I told him he couldn’t stop me from leaving. And when he threatened … well … let’s just say the moment I mentioned your name, he stopped chasing us.”
His eyes narrow, and a hint of possessiveness sparkles in his eyes. “You mentioned my name and told him I’d kill him.”
So he knows…
His brother must have told him that I ran, but I guess Anthony didn’t tell him how he whipped me.
“You think you can use me against my brothers?” Max asks; although it sounds more like a statement.
It’s wisest not to respond to that, so I don’t. I just look away at the horizon again.
It’s quiet for some time before he interrupts the silence again. “You’re a smart woman, Naomi.”
“Thank you.”
“But you should know not to mess with me or my brothers.” He looks me dead in the eye. “People could get killed.”
I wonder who he means.
“Is that what happened to Camilla and Hyun?” I ask.
He makes a face and laughs. “No, of course not. Why would we? They may come back and rejoin our game.”
“Right.” I sigh. “More girls.”
“Tell me the truth …” He leans against the balustrade like me. “You don’t like to see me with the other girls, do you?” Before I can reply, he already has that wicked smile on his face again. “That means you want me for yourself too.”
I close my eyes and sigh out loud. “Max …”
He slides my hair aside and whispers in my ear, “I love it when you say my name. I want you to say it the first time I fuck your brains out.”
My pussy clenches with need.
Fuck.
“Is that what you told them before you fucked them?” I mumble.
He muffles a laugh. “I never even touched them.” He sighs. “I only talked with the girls and gave them something to drink.”
“Really?” I scoff.
“Yes,” he reiterates. “Like I would be interested in fucking them after seeing you run off with my brother.” He shakes his head. “Why do you always have to question everything? Can’t you just accept that I want you?”
I close my mouth and wait a couple of seconds before I come up with a reply. “When you stop asking questions … that’s when you’re no longer alive.”
He chuckles and blinks a few times. “I wonder then … now that I’ve told you what I did with the girls, what did you do with Anthony?”
I frown and look away. “He shackled us to chairs and zip-tied our wrists.”
“Who’s we?”
“Britt,” I say. “And then he proceeded to face-fuck us while suffocating us. One by one.”
Max’s face tightens, and the look in his eyes reminds me of lightning striking down on earth. His hands turn into fists, and he smashes them onto the balustrade. “Fuck!”
“Jesus, you’ll hurt yourself.” I quickly grab his arm and pull it away.
“Now you suddenly care?” he barks, jerking his arm away.
I’m baffled. I don’t know how to respond. Part of me wants to say of course, but that would break the illusion of my aloofness. It would make me vulnerable, and I hate having any weakness, let alone showing it to him.
“I’m sorry; that was rude,” he says after a few seconds, and he caresses my back with his hand. Too bad it only makes me hiss from the pain. “I’m going to have to take a look at your wounds.”
“No. I said it’s fine. I showered. The blood’s gone.”
He pulls down the back of my gown with ease. “You don’t want to get an infection. Oh god …” He pauses and gazes at the marks on my back. “You’re right. I am going to kill him.”
He briefly glances at me before rushing off.
I follow him to his brother’s room, where he screams, “Anthony. Open the door!”
A few seconds later, Anthony casually opens the door, only for Max to punch him in the face.
I hold my breath as I watch Max jump on his brother and stomp him to the ground. He smacks him repeatedly, screaming at his face.
“You fucking hit her with a whip!”
“She ran away! It’s against the fucking rules!” Anthony yells.
He punches him in the stomach, and they roll around on the floor. Anthony’s a lot bigger than Max is and quickly overpowers him, rolling on top.
“Stop fucking hitting me!” Anthony almost chokes Max as he tries to hold him down.
“I’ll kill you!” Max kicks him in the balls so hard his brother falls to the ground, and he proceeds to hit him again. I never realized how intensely satisfying it is to watch two men fight over you … and see them bleed, of course.
I just watch them tumble around, fighting like two grown-up kids. I don’t feel the need to interfere. They both had it coming, and I must say … it does feel nice to see Anthony with the bruises he so deserves.
Suddenly, a scream is audible from the floor below.
The guys stop fighting and look up.
Another scream. “Help!”
I run to the balustrade and gaze across. Stacey comes out of a hallway to the right, looking for us, so I yell, “We’re here!”
She turns her attention to me, the shocked look on her face making me clutch the balustrade. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
“S-something’s wrong with Asya. Please, s-someone, help,” she cries, tears streaming down her face.
I nod and turn around, whistling at the guys who stop fighting each other. “Asya’s in trouble.”
The guys get up immediately, their faces red from exertion, but neither of them cares. As we rush through the hallway, following the screams to the women’s bedroom, they don’t even look at each other, and not a single word is spoken between the two of them. They’re completely focused on getting to the girls as quickly as possible, just like I am.
Stacey trails behind us, sniffling. When I open the door, I find Lauren on the couch, clutching herself, while Jordan, Britt, and Latisha all huddle near the window, all extending a hand.
To Asya.
Who’s standing in the windowsill, staring down at the earth below.
My eyes widen as we all come to a screeching halt in the middle of the room.
For a brief second, Asya turns her face to us and stares blankly. Her face is white and partially covered in blood. Her lips parted, streams of blood pouring out. The look in her eyes reminds me of death.
“Please, come down,” Latisha begs.
Jordan tries to grab her hand, but Asya pulls away, inching closer to the edge.
“Stop,” Max growls.
Asya doesn’t even blink as she opens her arms and lets her body fall back.
The sound of screams as her body tumbles to the ground shocks me to my core.
Thud.
14.
Accompanying Song: “Acid Rain” by Lorn
Naomi
Three girls down, six left.
The girls huddle together for support, their sniffling and whining driving me crazy mad.
I can already barely deal with my own mind spinning stories, never mind the whimpers audible in the back.
“She said she was done with it all,” Stacey mumbles, clutching her blanket. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
“Me neither, but I do understand,” Britt says. “I mean she said she’d been thinking about it for some time. She told us.”
“Yeah, from what I heard, her parents told her to basically get married or die trying,” Stacey adds.
“Whoa,” Jordan mumbles, sipping her tea.
“Yeah; no wonder she was so on edge.”
“Not just that, but then she chose Devon’s item … and she lost it the moment she found out. She grabbed the knife and tried to throw it at him, which failed to hit its target. He did
n’t take it too well. At least, that’s what she told us,” Latisha says. “She was the first to be tied up and lashed. I could hear her screams all the way from down the hall, and that was before I knew I had picked his item too.”
“Yeah … gosh … there was so much blood when he was done with her. He barely even looked at us,” Stacey says.
Latisha nods, staring into blank space. “I would’ve liked to know what else he could do. I mean we’re here to marry one of them, so we might as well try them all out and see which one fits us the best. Even though I like Anthony the best,” she says with a giggle. “But it’s too soon to choose.”
She talks about the men like they’re shoes you try on at the store.
Pathetic.
The other girls stare at Latisha, who quickly adds to her story. “What? I mean there are three of them, and I think we should keep our options open. Besides, we all have our favorites.” She raises her brows. “Devon only tied us up and used some toys on us, like vibrators and crops.” She shrugs. “And he likes to fuck asses a lot.” She ends it with a small giggle that’s barely noticeable.
“When you’re not prepared, yeah,” Stacey says.
Lauren shivers, probably remembering how he tied her up and used her.
“He went easy on us because he’d already wasted his energy on her,” Stacey says, grabbing a pillow to hug. “I’m happy I survived. One of us wasn’t so lucky …”
The girls nod and stare off at the window and then down at the floor. Talks like these are never easy. What do you even say to each other after you’ve just watched someone kill herself? Nothing adequately describes what we all witnessed. Nothing.
I’m sitting in bed, trying to think, but all I hear are their voices as they shout about how unfair it is. Why she suddenly decided to jump. How she died for nothing. That it’s cruel. Who they can blame for it all.
While all I can think about is how many more of us will perish before they have their way.
Is this why they offered us the fifty million dollars?
Not just to be their concubines, but because there was a possibility we could die?
Goose bumps travel up and down my body, and I shake them off. It’s quiet in the room, too quiet, and when I turn my head, I can hear the sound of a bag zipping up.
Indecent Games Duet - Boxed Set Page 11
